Help interpreting AeT test results
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I completed an outdoor aerobic threshold test yesterday to kick off my 12-week mountaineering training plan. My heart rate drift was way lower than expected and I’d like some help interpreting the results. I want to make sure I didn’t do anything that might skew the drift downward.
After a warmup, which was tracked as a separate activity, I began the test on a local track. I targeted a heart rate of 145bpm. My heart rate generally stayed between 142-148 with a few swings (< 30 seconds) between 135 and 150. Most of the swings were higher. Only twice that I’m aware of did my HR drop below 142. My pace stayed between 10:36 and 9:45, with the exception of a ~10s slow period at the start. I had trouble getting my watch started and subconsiously slowed down. Is this pace and heart rate variability too much? Could something here have given me an artificially low heart rate drift?
For some background on my last test, I previously began casually begin building an aerobic base in October before I was fully ready to commit to a training plan. At the time I tested my AeT at 139. The loop I used for the test was ~1 mi with about 40 feet of elevation gain, although a portion of that was a flight of stairs. This forced me to walk for a short section each loop. Combine that with the fact that I included my warmup in the test (no TP premium at the time) and it’s entirely possible that my heart rate drift for that test was higher than it should have been. That said, during my normal training runs I’ve been running in the mid-130s and have generally had a heart rate drift of 2-5%, depending on how hilly the terrain is and my own fatigue. It seems strange that my formal heart rate drift test showed so much lower drift at a higher heart rate. I should note that I haven’t been particularly consistent; injuries and illnesses in the past few months have meant that I wasn’t consistently doing aerobic work for more than a a few weeks at a time. I don’t think my AeT should have moved up by that much.
One more data point; my AnT, also tested in October, was around 170 at a bit over 7:00min/mi. At that pace I could still (barely) nose breathe. Obviously I’m a classic case of aerobic deficiency, but is that normal? Is it possibly an indication that my initial AeT was higher than I believed?
Overall, I know I need to retake the test. But I’m not sure if I should take it again at 145, slightly higher, or much higher.
Did you upload this test in Training Peaks? Can you please make the workout public and share the link?
Sure, here’s the AeT test:
http://tpks.ws/INR2PWOWX4WNZTS4SDM6IXQ2EILike I said above, I tracked the warmup in a separate workout then started a new run to track the test itself. I’m happy to share the warmup or the previous AeT test if you’d like as well.
Sorry for the delay. For some reason, I cannot see Pa:Hr metric for this workout. Based on the test details you shared, it looks like you did everything right and if you have a drift of 3-5% then use 145 as your AeT. If the drift is minimal, then you can use 150 as a target heart rate for your next test.
for me, the difference between 9:45 and 10:30 pace in a drift test would be enough to obfuscate any fade, aka drift. eg. if I run 45 mins at 9:45 then slow to 10:30, thats probably enough to lower my HR. I only run my drift tests on a treadmill at a constant pace and incline…so any drift is real, and not effected by an outdoor variable
14rcole:
if you ran this test on a running track the pace to heart rate ratio is supplied in the Analytics on Training Peaks. We can see that in the data you shared. The algorithm that TP uses for calculating Pa: Hr will account for those heart rate swings. Your first test was probably a bit winky do to the stairs.
Scott
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